Diary of an anonymous MP's researcher reveals 'bullying' behaviour

The anonymous diary of a Parliamentary researcher who was allegedly “bullied
and traumatised” by a senior MP is being published by The Daily Telegraph.

Written between February and September last year, the diary highlights the treatment of young Westminster staffers who take-on low paying jobs in MP's offices shortly after leaving universityPhoto: Andy Hepburn/PA Wire

The account reveals how the MPs “aggressive” behaviour allegedly forced a number of people to resign in just nine months.

Written between February and September last year, it highlights the treatment of young Westminster staffers who take-on low paying jobs in MPs offices shortly after leaving University.

The young woman, who has asked to remain anonymous, kept a log of events in the office for eight months in 2012 after being “consistently made to feel stupid”.

Low-paid researcher jobs targeted at recent graduates are common in Parliament as a way for MPs to keep on top of constituency correspondence and the day-to-day business of politics.

One former researcher explained: “The problem is that MPs are able to lure people in because they are young. That’s the only way they can fill that job. It’s good for MPs; if you’re not good at it, at least you are young and they can quietly get rid of you.

“They get away with it by using people who are desperate for a job, who will put up with almost anything, who know that the competition is high and who are suckered in by the idea that there is a prestige to working in Parliament.”

The female researcher said that she was initially overjoyed to have been given a job in Westminster.

However, she alleged that the MP soon began treating her like a "punching bag" when things went wrong in the office.

“At the time I was so happy to have a job in Parliament,” the researcher said. “I had interned previously and felt like I was going in the right direction - you expect so much from an MP, from Parliament. I wanted to help solve constituency issues.

"I'm the only person in my family who wanted to do politics, and my parents were really proud of me when I got the job. My first week went well and [the MP] seemed impressed with me. Then the following week was when it all started.”

The diary starts today with a selection of the researcher’s first entries:

February-April 2012

“I got a phone call from [the MP] when I was in the office and [he/she] started shouting at me and I hadn’t actually done anything wrong. [The MP] is using me as a punching bag…”

“…[The MP] consistently makes me feel stupid, calling me into the office for a 'chat' when it’s really an opportunity for [the MP] to release all of [the MP's] stress on me and shout at me for no reason…”

“…This is becoming a regular occurrence, [the MP] will just phone me from home, or on the way to work to shout at me, to make me feel insignificant and irrelevant.”

“[The MP] doesn’t even let us have our own e-mail addresses. We all use one e-mail account. It’s a terrible system. It simply doesn’t work. [The MP] wants to see every e-mail before it goes out and things just don’t get done.”

“If I make one little mistake it will haunt me forever. [The MP] just won’t drop it and will bring it up a month later just to use as ammunition against me. I get aggressive e-mails in the morning, listing out all of the things I have done wrong that [the MP] holds back until [he/she] wants to unleash [his/her] rampage."